LOVELAND, Colo — The Colorado Eagles’ offensive woes continued against the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Friday night. Dropping their third game in a row and all in a shutouts. Jean-Luc Foudy was not enough to power the slow offense of the Eagles as he made a return to action. Foudy, who has been dealing with multiple injuries since April last season, made his anticipated season debut. Here are the quick hits from the 2–0 defeat by the Firebirds on Friday.
Quick Hits
Foudy
Jean-Luc Foudy is back to his usual routine! #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/gZBqHVgzak
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) January 13, 2024
— Foudy made his long-awaited season debut for the Eagles after missing 31 games this season. Last season, after playing just 46 games with the Eagles, Foudy had set career highs in goals scored and in assists. He also saw his first recall to the Colorado Avalanche and played nine games for the club. Tonight, he looked as though he had not missed a beat. His speed was all there as he attacked players in the offensive zone and along the boards. If this was a preview of what we have to look forward to, I can not wait.
“I am just excited to be back playing hockey,” Foudy said. “It’s been a long road. Just happy to be back playing hockey. Having Wags injured as well. Just having another guy, same situation. Usually being able to skate together. Just have another guy going through the process is always nice. He was also injured.”
“I think it was pretty obvious tonight,” head coach Aaron Schneekloth said. “His possession game was outstanding, especially for not playing in for an extended period. So his competence is only going to grow, the more he plays. He’s going to help in that scoring department not only when the puck is on his stick, but his vision and his ability to find an open man in the offensive zone is going to create a lot of chances for us. I’m just excited that he’s back in the lineup. I thought he was outstanding tonight.”
The Game
— Justus Annunen was the main reason the Firebirds had only scored two goals. Annunen played in just his sixth game back after returning from a lower-body injury. He maintained a .941 save percentage through the game and kept the Eagles in it the entire time. There were several times he had to stop odd man rushes and did it with ease.
A shorthanded chance for the Eagles leads to a 3 on 2 for the Firebirds and two amazing stops by Annunen. Tufte doesn't appreciate the extra pressure. #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/4ElZ2KojSW
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) January 13, 2024
— The offense continued multiple times to make passes to the slot without looking to see if anyone was there. The winger would rush down the boards and then pass to the center without looking first. This led to missed chances and turnovers in the offensive zone.
Conclusion
The Eagles lead the league in shots on goal but are 28th in goals scored. They are seeing opportunities there, but cannot take advantage of them. If Colorado can convert even a fraction of those shots, it could make a tremendous difference for them. The Eagles may be without Cal Burke once again as he has left the team for personal reasons. Unfortunately, we don’t know when he will return. Burke adds speed and a way to escape for the defense, which they had trouble with tonight. The Eagles will be back at it on Saturday night against the Coachella Valley Firebirds in Loveland.